Occupational therapy is a professional study that helps one to become familiar with the common issues they face while doing certain activities like self-feeding, peeing, communication, walking, mood- swings, feeling excluded from society, etc. The need of occupational therapy for children is increasing constantly because parents find it difficult to resolve these issues without theoretical knowledge.
Why Would a Child Need Occupational Therapy?
A child needs occupational therapy in many situations if he\she finds difficulties while performing motor skills, gross motor skills, or sensory issues.
Fine motor skills- These are some activities that involve small muscle groups, like crawling, jumping, moving, etc.
Gross motor skills- This includes performing tasks with the help of large muscles, like walking, running, throwing, kicking, etc.
Sensory issues- At the age of 2-3, a child starts reacting to sounds and saying ma, ma. But if your toddler doesn’t respond to sound and is unable to feel a certain fragrance or smell, then it is a symptom of sensory issues.
‘Does my child need occupational therapy?’ is the most searched query on the Internet. Parents are not aware of the professional techniques a skilled therapist uses. They need professional therapists to overcome these problems in their children.
Who is an Occupational/Pediatric Therapist?
An occupational therapist is a person who helps your child to deal with various issues like sensory issues, problems in motor skills, inability to perform daily tasks. They qualify the national exam, complete their degree in therapy, and become a therapist with a certified license.
How long does a Child Need Occupational Therapy?
How long occupational therapy can go depends on many factors of a child. There is no clear answer to this question. Because if a child has some critical issues like autism spectrum disorder, they will take a long period to recover from the disease. Therapists will assist you in how to help your child in recovery with the help of certain techniques.
Some toddlers are experts in learning techniques while others are slow at this. It also depends on the needs and requirements of a child. For better results, the therapist sets a bookmark, and according to it, they depict the period. Parents can also help their children to learn new things in playing methods. With clinical observation and standardized assessments, pediatric therapists evaluate a child’s basic requirements and how they can overcome their issues. Therapists meet with parents, teachers, friends, and the persons close to the child to get aware of the child’s surrounding environment.
Also Read: Difference Between Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy
10 Indications to Know the Need of Occupational Therapy for Children
If a child cannot do daily activities without taking anybody’s help at home, school, while playing, etc., these all are symptoms that they need occupational therapy. Now we are going to the main part of the blog. Here, we will explain the ten most common signs a child shows to identify the need of Occupational Therapy for children.
Age-Appropriate Developmental Delay- With the age of 2-3, a child starts crawling, moving, jumping, etc. But some children are unable to perform these tasks. They find it difficult to connect their mind with physical movement. It means they need additional help from a therapist to overcome these difficulties.
Issues in Visual Processing- Visual processing is a process in which we behave according to what we see. When we see a dog barking at us, we run away or maybe call someone. But when we don’t react or connect visual things to mind, it becomes a significant concern with running time. If a child doesn’t recognize letters, alphabets, etc., finding it difficult to give a gap between shapes, it is a symptom of visual processing disorder.
Refrain from Social Interaction- Society plays an important role in the overall growth of a person. Our social environment has a considerable impact on how we behave. If a person can not communicate properly, uninterested in interacting with new people, or facing difficulty in adopting a new environment or in sharing things with family and peers, these are signs of being socially unstable.
Sensory Processing- Our mind responds to the things we feel or hear. When someone calls our name, we reply to it. Without having proper command on the senses, it becomes difficult to respond quickly to action. A child with sensory processing issues overreacts to certain things, like frustration on noise, unable to calm themselves, instability, problems while coping, etc., or sometimes a child with this problem is under-responsive while doing certain activities.
Difficulties in Performing Fine Motor Tasks- Fine motor activities are general tasks a child does with the help of small muscles like toes, fingers, lips, and wrist. When fine motor skills are affected, children cannot perform tasks like walking, using scissors, holding a toy, solving a puzzle, poor handwriting, coloring, eating by themselves, and avoiding games that involve fine motor skills.
Feeling of Anxiety when Gross Motor Skills Require – Gross motor skills means use of stronger or large muscles that control our body to perform a task. Good strength, body development, and movement are a part of gross motor skills. But a child with deduction in these skills cannot coordinate with hands, legs, arms, and body parts, and faces difficulties in age-appropriate activities. Symptoms are poor body balance, inability to coordinate with body parts, difficulty while walking in a straight line, etc.
Delay in Development of Oral Sensory- Oral sensory includes movement of lips, jaw, teeth, soft palate, and tongue. Delay in oral skills can be shown in many ways, like difficulty in chewing food, mouth loses excessive liquid after breastfeeding, choosy to eat certain vegetables or food items, feeling leisurely after eating, heavy drool, and issues in drinking with the cup in age-appropriate time.
Learning Disability- The need of occupational therapy for children is essential if your child faces challenges like difficulty in learning new things, getting distracted easily, unable to solve age-appropriate issues, learning one thing at a time, taking homework as a workload, issues while performing tasks, unable to control impulse, etc.
Emotionally Inexpressive- Control on our emotions is becoming a necessity. Sometimes, when a child doesn’t express their emotions well, they become introverted. They do not express their feelings, unable to share their mood swings with family. And sometimes toddlers don’t use emotive terms like happy, jealousy, or sad.
Unable to Perform Daily Life Activities- We all do a few tasks regularly, like bathing, dressing, eating, etc. Struggling with these activities is a serious concern that needs the surveillance of a skilled therapist. Inability to self-dress, combing hair, and needing adult help while eating or drinking are the problems that a child faces.
Best Occupational Therapy Center in Noida
TheraKids Noida is a professional therapy center for children that provides different therapies depending on the disorder a child is facing. The fee structure is affordable. Moreover, it offers the world’s best facilities. They have professional pediatric therapists who assist you with the surrounding environment your child needs. Therapists use different techniques to make it easy for your child to overcome their issues. They inform you time by time about the benefits of therapy and child performance.
Final Verdict
In this write-up, we explained the need of occupational therapy for children. We also described the 10 top symptoms to identify if your child needs occupational therapy and how you can help them to overcome these disabilities. We explained the significant role therapists play in your child’s life with the help of techniques. At last, we came up with the best therapy center near you in Noida: Therakids Noida.
